Outback Hearts (Beyond Reality Book 1) Read online

  After a couple of hours, and after each of the women got to record their introduction, they were finally on their way again. Sam had a headache. Listening to the other women was exhausting and irritating. They asked the same questions over and over and had the same complaints. It was too hot, when would they get there, where were they going, when were they going to meet the bachelor…why couldn’t they just go-with-the-flow? The producers would bring forth the guy when they were darn good and ready, and not one second earlier.

  Finally, they pulled up to what looked like would’ve been an old Girl or Boy Scout camp if they were in the U.S. There were a few trees and what looked like a fire circle and three small buildings.

  They all filed off the bus toward the buildings. The two outer buildings were large open rooms that were filled with bunk beds. Obviously they’d reached the end of the bus ride. This was where they’d be staying. The other smaller building was the toilets. There were two toilet pits with two small sinks. There was also one shower head that looked like it had seen better days.

  There wasn’t a lot being said by the other women. It was obvious this was not what they expected or wanted. Sam laughed inside. It was perfect. It was what she’d somewhat expected and it was hilarious now that she’d met the other contestants. The sound of the bus starting up and driving away had all the women turning toward where the bus once stood. All of the luggage was sitting on the side of the road. It looked like it had been abandoned, except for the fact that most of it was designer brands. The women went and collected their bags, then started to drag them toward the bunks. There was some discussion about who would sleep where, but most of the women were tired, hot, and cranky, not caring much at the moment about where they’d sleep.

  Alex drove the bus about five miles down the road to where the main camp for the show was set up. Since he’d be allowed to see any footage of the women that he wanted, the show decided they might as well save some money and let him stay in the main camp with the other television personnel. It was a bit better than where the contestants were staying, but the bunk beds were still in evidence. Alex was allowed his own small tent a bit off to the side of the rest of the production company.

  Alex went to his room and lay down on his bed to think about the first day. The women were everything he could’ve hoped for. They were beautiful, slender, and easy on the eyes, but after listening to them talk to each other and having to listen to their boring conversations all day, he was ready to turn his back on the entire project. What did the people that cast this show do? Give an IQ test and only choose women who scored low? Sure, they were all pretty, but he’d reached a point in his life where he wanted more. He wasn’t sure he was ready to settle down and get married yet, but he also needed more than a pretty face, he wanted intelligent conversation as well. Not all of the women were horrible, he conceded, but man, this was going to be a tough road.

  While Alex remembered the crazy videos, his mind went back to Sammi. He didn’t even know her, but her face kept coming to his mind. She had a funny sense of humor and a crooked smile. Alex had never believed in love at first sight, and he still didn’t think he did, but there was just something about her that he couldn’t put out of his mind.

  Suddenly, Eddie knocked on his door and walked in. “What’d ya think, Alex?” he boomed. “Quite a field to choose from, huh?”

  “Uh yeah, they certainly are interesting,” Alex mumbled.

  “Here’s the thing,” Eddie said with a sly smirk on his face. “We’re going to start off the day tomorrow by kicking one of them off.”

  “Already?” Alex exclaimed. “I haven’t even met them officially yet!”

  “We know,” Eddie cackled. “We’re going to pretend it’s a random thing, but we want you to choose tonight who you want gone. You’re going to have most of the choices throughout this process, even if the women don’t know it, so think about it and let me know in about an hour who it’s gonna be, so we can set it up.” And with that he was gone.

  How am I going to choose? Alex didn’t really know these women, and he was supposed to get rid of one already? But then he knew. He’d sat through the video and couldn’t believe Wendi was saying the things that she was and that she’d practically invited herself to move in with him after the show was over. She’d also insulted and belittled some of the other contestants in her video as well. He didn’t think he could even pretend to like her when he met her for real. Wendi had to go. Alex figured maybe it was because she was from Vegas, it was a cutthroat kind of town, and Alex had no desire to even go down that road. When the producer came back about an hour later, Alex told him his choice and Eddie left, already talking on the phone with someone, organizing Wendi’s exit.

  Tomorrow would definitely be an interesting day for everyone.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning was interesting. There were sixteen women trying to cram into the small bathroom building, all trying to use the mirror to do their hair and makeup, not to mention the rush for the shower…until they found out there wasn’t any hot water. Most of the women decided they didn’t need a shower after all. Sam found the entire situation pretty amusing. Since the shower wasn’t being used because there wasn’t any hot water, Sam took a quick dunk and washed her hair. She then went back to her bunk, got dressed, brushed her hair, twisted it up into a barrette, and she was ready to face the day. It took her about half an hour to get ready, so she was ready quite a bit ahead of the others. She decided she’d explore a little around the campsite before things got started. The cameramen and women were busy filming the women who were still trying to get ready and didn’t notice when Sam slipped out of the camp.

  Sam observed that their camp seemed to be at the bottom of a slight rise. She started walking up the hill to see what was on the other side. When she got to the top she stopped and stared...it was beautiful. It’d be the kind of place she’d love to build a house. She was staring out at the Outback. She couldn’t believe she was actually here.

  The sun had already come up and everything had a slight orange tint to it. There were rolling hills, trees, open spaces that looked like desert, and there was even a creek or river or something in the distance. The sounds of animals were loud. She had no idea what animals were making the sounds, but it was beautiful. Sam sat down on a nearby rock. What an unbelievable sight. If nothing else, she was glad she’d been chosen for this silly show just so she could see this. Sam sat there just drinking in the sight of the land in front of her for a while, when suddenly she heard a commotion back at camp. She reluctantly rose and started back down the hill. It looked like the show would be getting started today after all.

  When she arrived back at the camp the other women were running around frantically. Eddie was there. Courtnee told Sam as she ran past that they had five minutes to meet at the flat open space near the fire circle. Finally all the women were lined up in two rows around the host of the show. This was a man they hadn’t met before. His name, they were told, was Robert. He was tall and good-looking in a movie star way. He didn’t interact with the other women until the camera turned on him and Eddie said, “roll.” Suddenly, his entire face lit up in a wide smile.

  “Welcome, ladies. I’m Robert. I’ll be your host for this dating journey you’re about to embark on. Later today you will meet the bachelor and I’m sure you’ll be impressed and excited.” Robert paused dramatically, then continued, “But first there is one piece of business we have to attend to. As you know, at random times during the next few weeks one of you will be leaving the show.” Some of the women let out disappointed moans as if on cue.

  “I know, I know,” Robert commiserated, “but it can’t be helped. In fact, one of you will be going home today, right now as a matter of fact.”

  There were shocked gasps from the group of women. Comments like, “No way!” and, “I can’t believe it” and, “That isn’t fair” and, “We haven’t even met the bachelor yet” were heard.

  Sam couldn’t help it.
She laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of it all and got quite a few glares from the other women.

  “I know you’re wondering how this will be done since you haven’t even met the bachelor yet. Since we want this game to be as fair as possible and since most of you don’t even know each other, we’re going to draw names out of a hat. If your name is drawn, you’re safe, if your name is the last one left, then you’ll be going back home.”

  It’s perfect, Sam thought, totally random and objective. She wondered if this would be her last day in the Outback. She didn’t really care about the guy, after all she hadn’t even met him yet, but it was such a beautiful place, it’d be a shame not to get to see more than this little campsite, especially after her time on the rise. Another part of her, a part she wouldn’t admit to if asked, wanted to see the guy. She figured all women had a fantasy of being chosen above others, and she was no exception. She shook herself and forced herself to pay attention.

  “Okay,” Robert continued, “Here’s the hat. I’d like for each of you to come forward and take your name and place it into the hat.” The hat was a big ten gallon cowboy hat. The names were elaborate name plates that were the kind of thing that would sit on someone’s desk at work. They were black plastic with big white letters.

  What a cheesy prop. Sam thought as she got in line to grab her nameplate and put it in the hat. I guess I won’t be crumpling up my piece of paper. She placed her name in with the others. Sam had a trick she used in various raffles that she’d participated in. She knew that if you crumpled up your ticket, it was more likely to be chosen because it would feel different than the others in the mix. There was no possibility of these plastic pieces being crumpled, though, darn it.

  Slowly, Robert started calling out names.

  “Katie, Nikki, Kimmie, Cindee…” After each name was called the camera zoomed in on the woman as she stepped away from the others and walked to a separate platform. Robert continued, “Lori, Kiki, Courtnee, Kathi, Missy, Candi…” Sam thought she saw Candi actually tearing up as she stepped to the new platform. Give me a break. Sam thought. She doesn’t even know the guy yet! Five more names to be called. Sam started to get a bit nervous. She really didn’t want to be the first person to leave the show. It was too much like getting picked last at kickball when she was in elementary school. She didn’t want to be the first loser. “Amy, Brandi…” Sam held her breath. “Sammi…” Thank God. Sam thought as she took her place on the other platform.

  There were now only three women left on the other platform. All three looked like they were going to cry.

  “Ashley,” Robert called as he pulled one more piece of paper from the hat. Ashley squealed and ran over to the other platform and hugged Candi. Sam inwardly rolled her eyes at their antics. The only two women who were left were Wendi and Jennie. Sam couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for them. It certainly wouldn’t be any fun to be in their situation. Finally, after making a dramatic speech about fate and choices, Robert pulled the last name out of the hat.

  “Jennie.” Wendi would be the first contestant to be leaving the show. Wendi didn’t say a word. She just turned around and walked toward the bunkhouse. Robert didn’t look like he knew what he was supposed to do in response. Sam figured they were probably supposed to all go over and console Wendi and it was supposed to be a big cry fest. Whatever.

  Eddie and the other staff assisted Wendi in packing her belongings and she was whisked out of the campsite fairly rapidly. The women weren’t sure what they were supposed to be doing next when the producer asked them all to climb back on the bus. They all trudged back to the bus they’d ridden in yesterday like good little contestants. Sam, once again, claimed the front seat. She absently noticed that today’s driver was a different man than the one who’d driven them to the camp the day before. He wasn’t nearly as buff as the first driver. Sam shook her head at herself. Really. Now she was lusting after the bus driver? She needed to get a life!

  They were driven to an area next to a small river. It wasn’t too far across, maybe about twelve feet. Sam wasn’t sure how deep it was as the water was a bit murky. When they got off the bus, Robert was once again standing around. He’d ridden in a separate car and was getting his face makeup touched up. So much for reality. Sam thought snidely.

  The women were instructed to stand in their two lines again on a portable podium that was set up for them. Once they were all in place, Robert stepped up to his place in front of the podium and started to speak.

  “Today is the day you’ll meet our bachelor. He’s looking forward to getting to know you. He’s watched all of your videos and is anxious to meet you. Instead of having a large meet and greet, as is normal for shows like this, today we are going to have a contest.” Most of the women groaned. “Some of you will get to meet him today. The others will have to wait until another day. I’m sure you all know how important it is to get to know the bachelor, since in the future he’ll be deciding who stays and who goes.”

  The women immediately started talking to each other. Robert allowed this for a while as it was a good dramatic effect to his announcement.

  That’s sneaky. Sam thought to herself. Make us compete against each other to see who’ll get to meet him first and make an impression. Sam decided there was no way she was going to get into a pissing match with the other women. There would be plenty of time for her to meet the guy and she wasn’t going to get caught in the middle of any catfight. That had never been her style and it wasn’t going to change now.

  Robert continued his speech, “Each of you will have ten minutes to follow the path,” Robert said as he pointed to a wide swath of dirt that continued along the river. “At the end of the path there’s a large barrel filled with water. You have to reach in and grab one fish, then bring it back down the path and place it into your pail here. Since there are fifteen of you, we will run in heats of three. There is only one barrel and there are twenty fish in the barrel. The eight women that collect the most fish will get to meet the bachelor today. The rest of you will go back to the camp and meet him at a later time.”

  Complete silence greeted Robert at the end of his speech. But then the women started talking amongst themselves, trying to come up with the best strategy. This is so corny, but it ought to be funny to watch these women run in their heels!

  The heats were announced. First up would be Kathi, Nikki, and Missy. Heat Two would be Candi, Kiki, and Cindee. Heat Three would be Kimmie, Katie, and Amy. Heat Four would be Sammi, Jennie, and Courtnee, and the last heat would be Lori, Ashley, and Brandi.

  Eddie and other TV employees quickly got the first heat ready to go. The course was already set up so it wasn’t long before Kathi, Nikki, and Missy were off and running along the path. Since the other contestants couldn’t see what was going on at the barrel it was a surprise to see Missy coming running back with a fish…and soaking wet! It looked like she’d dived headfirst into the barrel. The other women giggled uneasily, knowing their turn would come in the not too distant future. Not far behind her was Nikki, and she was also wet. The race continued. Missy was obviously determined to get the most fish. The final total at the end of the ten minutes was Missy with eleven fish, Nikki with six and Kathi with only three.

  Heat two and three were much of the same. Candi, Katie, and Kiki had eight fish each. Cindee had four, Kimmie and Amy each had six. During heat three, Kimmie and Amy were both racing back to their buckets with their last fish and time was quickly winding down when Kimmie slipped on the path and almost fell into the river. Her fish went flying over the path and Kimmie went sprawling after it. She was fine, and she was able to get up and deposit her fish in her bucket before time was up, but it was a sobering moment for everyone. She could have really gotten hurt. By now, the path was wet from the earlier heats and was starting to turn into slippery mud. It wasn’t inconceivable that someone could come around the corner and slip and fall into the river. It wouldn’t be deadly, the river wasn’t that deep, and wasn’t moving very s
wiftly. There also weren’t many rocks around the side of the river, but it certainly wouldn’t be a pleasant fall.

  It was heat four’s turn. Sam, Jennie, and Courtnee were racing down the path toward the bucket. Sam suddenly understood why the women were all wet when they came back with their fish. The bucket was filled to the rim with water and was about three and a half feet tall. In order to reach the fish that were “camped out” at the bottom, you had to lean all the way in and put your head under the water in order to reach the fish. Jennie was the first to arrive at the bucket.

  She soon had her first fish and was heading back to the pail to deposit it. Courtnee was next and she also came up with her first fish and was off and running. Sam was in no hurry to get her fish and head back. She stood there, looking down at the fish in the barrel. It was actually kinda sad. She knew that fish were killed every day, but this was different, these fish weren’t going to be eaten, they were being killed for a stupid TV show.

  Slowly, Sam took a deep breath and reached in and grabbed one of the fish. It was surprisingly heavy and very slippery. She heard Jennie running back up the path for her second fish. Sam headed down the path toward her pail. She didn’t want it to look like she was deliberately not trying to win, but this was ridiculous. She put her fish in the pail. Then she picked up the pail and walked toward the river. She bent down and filled it with water, then carried it back to the clearing. If she was going to have to collect these fish, she was going to keep them alive until the ten minutes were over and then she was going to set them free into the river again.